I have installed Atmel Studio 7 and I wanted to test an Arduino SW in Simulator mode.

I have opened Demo_3D_cube and there is no error during the build.

However, when I want to "start debugging and break" ; there is an error during the upload. AS7 is looking for a COM port to open, but I have selected "Simulator" in the project property and I have no hardware connected.

Is it possible to debug an Arduino SW in Simulator mode ? When I connect the arduino board, I can see that I can debug and put breakpoints.

It's not, it's starting visual micro. Other than that, I can't really help, since I don't know the ins and outs of Visual Micro (but I think a Visual Micro project overrides some of the debug features)...

:: Morten

(yes, I work for Atmel, yes, I do this in my spare time, now stop sending PMs)

As he says this is nothing to do with them - it's because you have installed an extension from a 3rd party company: VisualMicro so if that extension makes the IDE behave in "odd" ways it's a question you will have to take up with them.

Clearly the way it usually works is that when you start/break then normally it downloads a "monitor" into the Arduino so they can take a certain amount of debugging control of the chip. But their code *should* recognise when the debug target is "simulator" and in that case not attempt the download. As I say is it not possible to simply "turn off" the VisualMicro extension so it does not get in the way when you try to start the simulator?

I have found the issue ; I have added all the buttons possibles in the shortcut view and I have seen that "No Programmer" was found in the tool used ; I think that's why it tries by default to open a serial COM port.

I have put "Atmel Studio Device Programming" (Simulator is used in this Device Programming window) and click on "Use When Uploading"